The Elephant's Confession
by potterfanxp123
Summary: AU, Set after "Sucker Punch" S2E13: After a fight breaks out in the precinct, the elephants on Beckett's desk break. Cover image owned by ABC/Disney.
1. The Find

The Elephant's Confession: A Castle Fanfiction

Potterfanxp123 (William F.)

 **Disclaimer** : I don't own 'Castle', any and all likeness to the characters within are owned by ABC Studios, and were created by Andrew Marlowe, and Terri Miller

Chapter One:

As he sat, munching on some popcorn left in the break room, Richard Castle smugly studied the chaos around him. Johns and pros, bangers, and felons alike, were engaged in an all-out battle with Uniforms and Detectives, brought about by the successful bust of a prostitution ring by the Vice Squad three floors up.

Across the bullpen, he could see Javier Esposito, a retired member of the Special Forces, swiftly taking down an arrogant near seven-footer while his partner Kevin Ryan took on a two-bit street-corner procurer that tried to liberate his gun.

To his left, sat ignoring the festivities as she focused on her own case file, a cold case on the murder of a seventy-five year old nun, Detective Kate Beckett rolled her eyes. To his never-ending amusement, the woman was unperturbed by the ruckus around them, absently turning another page, as reinforcements in the form of unis ran up the stairs.

He suppressed the urge to chuckle as L.T., a large uni with a friendly disposition, absentmindedly manhandled a cocky repeat offender, throwing a left hook and connecting with the man's jawline, causing the gangbanger to fall onto Ryan's desk and sending his reports, cold case files, and computer monitor falling to the cement floor, where the glass shattered and sparks flew sending greyish white smoke into the air.

In the next few moments, a whole multitude of events occurred.

First, Beckett's phone chimed with the notification of an incoming text, amusing his muse as she showed him that it was from Lanie, before she told him that she was just going to the stairs to call the Medical Examiner.

Second, Roselyn Karpowski, in a heated fight with a well-endowed courtesan, flew shoulder first into Beckett's newly abandoned desk, knocking it askew and making his muses lamp wobble and causing a ceramic herd of elephants, which the Detective had told him days before once belonged to her mother, to become perched precariously on the desk's edge.

Third, that same courtesan jumped towards the oblique desk, onto Karpowski's back, flipping both the Detective and the courtesan over said desk and to the floor.

Which, fourth, caused the small, ceramic herd of elephants to fall off of the desk as the writer, in an attempt to catch them and save his partner more emotional pain, instinctively jumped forward out of his seat, and towards the statuette.

Leading to his friend and muse reentering the bullpen just as the elephants reached the floor, shattering with a loud crash, a stifled whimper the only indicator of her turbulent emotional state.

Rick winced, landing knee first in the shards; his palms becoming a series of small scrapes and abrasions. The writer didn't dare to turn to where he could feel Beckett's penetrating gaze, couldn't bring himself to look at the shattered look on her face, or the unwanted feeling of overwhelming depression that suddenly consumed the Detective. Suddenly, the fight around him no longer seemed entertaining, becoming all too real as a tangible link to her mother tore apart before him.

Behind him, a door slammed.

As he gingerly looked around, he no longer saw the atmosphere of entropy, in its place a sea of tranquility as police and criminals alike took in the situation. It didn't last long, as within seconds, the blue bloods had returned their attention to the matter at hand and ended the fight as quickly as possible.

Rick sighed, studying the ceramic herd of elephants shattered form, knowing instinctively that the tiny pieces were too small to successfully repair his muses, his friends, broken heart.

He did the only thing he could do. Pushing against the floor, Rick winced as he stood up, and lifted his foot to get it underneath him. Ignoring the concerned looks of the police around him, Rick walked to the supply closet around the corner from the break room, and grabbed a broom and dustpan, before silently walking back to the desk.

Beckett hadn't returned, not that he expected that she would.

Absentmindedly, Rick started to clean the broken remnants of Johanna's herd off of the floor, ignoring the low ache of physical pain that shot through his hands as he swept the bristles along the floor.

To his shock, as he swept underneath Beckett's desk a small, red, white, and black cassette tape, which had become trapped in the broom's bristles, came to a rest in the pile at his feet. Keeping his head bowed, he shifted his gaze and noticed that no one had yet to notice the tape, everyone too stunned to move in the last few moments, an unsettling feeling settled over them.

He bent down, sweeping the pile into the dustbin, covering the cassette with the shattered remnants of a herd of elephants, as he walked through the bullpen and to the break room, coming to a stop in front of the trashcan there. Absently he pocketed the cassette and dumped the refuse, before returning the supplies to the closet.

Then, once that was finished, he exited the bullpen with a surge of adrenaline consuming him, clearing the pain from his scraped hands relieving the ache in his knees, allowing him to take the stairs two at a time in an effort to catch his distraught muse before she got too far away.

As Homicide was on the fourth floor of the seven-story building, if Kate was taking her time descending the stairs in an attempt to contain herself, a possibility given her emotional state, he thought he might have a chance to catch up to her in the lobby.

To his surprise, as he came upon the door to the second-floor entrance to the Bomb Disposal Unit, he saw his muse… his partner… Kate… squatting, palms digging into her eyes, in an attempt to stem the flow of tears as her cries echoed around her.

Hesitantly, he moved toward the hazel-eyed brunette, cupping the side of her face, and running his thumb over the downward streak of her tears, as he pulled out a handkerchief and offered it to her softly. She took it, and dabbed at her eyes, before her eyes fell to the cold, concrete floor and her arms started wracking with heart-wrenching sobs.

He curled his arms around her, his right hand stroking her soft, brunette hair in the same way he had stroked long, red curls hundreds of times before, as hot tears flowed down and over her cheeks and onto his overcoat. Here, and now, Kate Beckett, badass cop, was replaced, if only in his mind, with Katie (or even Katherine) Beckett, devastated nineteen year old daughter.

"Kate," he said softly, "I'm so sorry."

She froze, and attempted to push away, though the attempt was feeble given the lack of strength behind the small, automatic gesture. In return, he merely tightened his grip, bringing about a newer, fresher set of tears.

He softly shushed her, stroking down her face as she again pushed him away, her face pulling with the motion. Immediately releasing the woman, again after hundreds of hours of experience, he met her eyes and softly said, "Do you want me to take you home?"

She merely nodded.

Rick stood, feeling the cassette thump against his side as he pulled his partner up, and said, "We'll call the guys from the car, let them know you're taking the rest of the day off."

"Thanks Castle," she said almost too softly. If it weren't for the fact that he was expecting it, the writer doubted he would have heard it. He led her down and into the parking garage, and over to her Crown Victoria, moving to the passenger side, and opening her door. Kate sat down, automatically buckling her seatbelt, as she dabbed at her eyes again.

He made his way to the driver's seat, holding out his hand for her keys, shocked when she merely handed them to him in a broken, emotionless movement. He cringed as he started the engine, and pulled out, before handing her his phone and said, "Espo is number six on my speed dial."

She cleared her throat, and swiped the screen, absently inputting his code, 931008, and dialing his phone. After a quick discussion, Kate sat his phone in the console and said, "I must look a mess."

"Don't be silly, Detective, you look beautiful."

As he pulled into traffic, Rick contemplated turning the gumball on, just to get a glare from the pessimistic woman beside him, anything to get her out of her reflective mood. Even now, the urge to pop the cassette into the player was overwhelming, just to give his partner peace of mind when she needed it most.

"Is it repairable, Castle?" she asked a few, eternal moments later.

"No," the writer whispered softly, "There weren't any large enough pieces left, Beckett. I wish more than anything that it were."

The detective sniffled, and she cleared her throat before saying, "Thanks Castle."

"No problem," the writer softly whispered. "I wish I could do more, Beckett."

"You know they were my moms," she said after a terse three minutes. Rick smiled, having expected her to fill the intentional silence when he didn't speak. "Before they were on my desk, she used to keep them on hers. She used to joke about how they were a family, just like us… me, my mom… my dad. They were a family. But more than that," she took a breath, "more than that they were a tangible link to her, Castle. And now they're gone and I have no idea what to do."

"You honor her legacy," Rick said softly. "You wake up in the morning prepared to right one more wrong, put to bed one more case, free one more innocent. You remember your mother in the best way you know how, Kate, by honoring the victim."

She smiled, the first one in what seemed like hours. "Thank you Rick."

"You're welcome," the writer said as he pulled up to her apartment, pulled into the underground parking lot, removed the key from the ignition, and stepped out of the too confining space. As he moved his legs from the floorboard the pain he'd been suppressing in his desire to console his partner reared its head and he groaned. Beckett looked at him, and for the first time noticed the blood on his hands, and the patches of blood on his pant legs, before she said, "Castle, you're hurt!"

He looked at her in pained amusement, and said, "I'm fine, Kate."

"What happened?" the distraught woman asked, her eyes meeting his gaze. Rick studied her gaze and said, "I dove out of my chair trying to catch the elephants."

Her eyes widened and a soft, almost reverent gaze filled her as she said, "Come upstairs, I'll tend to your wounds."

He studied her, and said, "Really Detective Beckett, I'll be alright. Alexis is expecting me home soon anyway."

She studied him, before she shook her head, "I'll call Alexis and tell her that I invited you in, but I am going to help you Castle."

The writer studied his muse, before he nodded softly in acquiescence, which drew an eye roll. Gingerly, the adrenaline having worn off, Richard Castle made his way to her apartment's elevator, his mind, like the bullpen an hour ago, entropic.


	2. The Talk

Chapter Two:

He was anxious upon entering the Detective's apartment, worried about the cassette in his coat pocket, and its contents. He was terrified of the small, plastic thing. It felt like he was carrying around a target on his back, and holding a bright, orange neon sign that screamed 'I'm over here, this way'.

The cassette was, in fact, the only reason he'd hesitated to accept Kate's invitation. He'd come to respect, to cherish the friendship he'd cultivated with his muse, and knew exactly how far down the rabbit hole she could fall, would fall, if given the chance. And, try as he might, he couldn't convince himself that the cassette was anything other than the smoking gun Kate Beckett needed to rattle the hornet's nest that was her mom's case.

"I'm going to go change, Castle. Can you promise not to break anything while I'm doing that? I'll grab the first aid kit on the way through. And I'll call Alexis, okay."

He nodded reverently, and said, "I'm going to order something for dinner. Do you want anything in particular?"

Kate turned her head, studying him for a few, awkward seconds, before a soft, intriguing smile crossed her face, then with a small shake of her head, said, "Whatever you order will be great, Castle."

As she left the room, the writer smiled, dialing a number from memory and ordering a pizza, turning his phone to silent as he took in the living room. He noticed a bookshelf that had almost all of his books, "A Rose for Everafter", conspicuous in its absence. Absently taking note that "Flowers for Your Grave" was on the shelf, he gently lifted the book that had brought them together, opening it to the dedication page.

It wasn't signed. Quickly, he pulled a pen out of his pocket and wrote a deep and meaningful dedication in the book that had, essentially, brought them together before placing it back on the shelf. Hopefully, the detective wouldn't notice that he'd signed it until the next time she read it.

"You okay there, Castle?" Kate asked. He turned, a sheepish grin on his face as he said, "Just taking in your library, Beckett. You have some great choices here, though I never saw you as a Kipling fan.

"I don't always read mystery novels, Castle. And, I loved "The Jungle Book" when I was a kid. But you're right, I haven't read that since the summer before my mom died. It was hers, dad bought it for her, and he was going to donate it to the library after she died."

"Oh," he murmured, "I'm sorry."

She shook her head. "It's alright. I seem to be telling you a lot about my mom these days. Its sweet being able to remember the good things without feeling bad, well worse than normal anyway. I don't know, maybe it's you rubbing off on me, Castle, but for the first time since she was murdered, I have hope."

That she said all of that while standing in her apartment, holding a first aid kit, about ready to patch him up was telling. And incredible. His breath caught, and he knew. He knew that now, this moment, tonight, was the perfect moment to show her the cassette. So, he slowly expelled the air in his lungs, and said, "I need to show you something."

She turned, her brow furrowed in thought. But before he could warn her, could tell her, "You need to sit down", she shook her head. Stopping him. "Not right now. I promised Alexis I would take care of you. So, whatever it is can wait until I'm done first."

He nodded. "Okay."

With that, Kate took a deep breath and said, "There is a pair of shorts in my room. I doubt you're going to want me to cut your pants' leg's off, so go change."

He nodded, gingerly walking across the room, playing with the cassette in his pocket. He change quickly, both so that she could fulfill her promise to his daughter, but more importantly, to his well-being at least, so that he could hasten the time between now and then. Once he'd re-entered her living room, he smelled the pizza that he'd ordered.

Kate, sat on the couch, patted the seat next to her. He took the invitation, sitting as close as he dared, closing his eyes as she fulfilled her promise to his daughter.

Once that was done, and the pizza was half gone, he saw her take a deep breath and give him a watery smile, as he said, "Alright."

Kate stared, and he knew she was remembering the last time he'd been so serious, warning her to sit before he delivered the news that led her to a new break in the case. To his relief, she stayed seated, her teary-eyed gaze pleading with him to rip the bandage off.

"When your mom's elephants broke," he stopped, falling to his knees before her, and taking her hands in his own, "When they broke, I found something. I don't know what it is," he hastily explained as her eyes filled with an unquenchable fire, "I was going to keep it," he admitted, "I wasn't going to tell you about it until I, I don't know, had forewarning I guess. Some idea of what we were in for. I didn't want to dump whatever it is on you without some kind of idea what it is, Kate."

She looked him in the eyes, and he sighed in relief as he saw the fire in her eyes dim, before she asked, "You found it today, then? Not something you found like a week ago, mulling over your options."

"Yes," he confirmed, "Less than five hours ago, as a matter of fact. I," here he paused and walked over to the answering machine, before he explained, "It's a cassette. An old _answering machine_ type cassette. I didn't realize you had one. I was going to invite you over to the loft, use the one there. We still can, if you'd rather wait a bit."

He could see the fear in her eyes, could see the indecision plaguing her thoughts. Then, to his surprise, Kate opened the top, pulled out the tape and held out her hand. Wearily he handed it over, and watched as she put it in, and closed the lid with a firm will. "Kate," he said softly, "Sit down, I'll start it for you."

 _Let me be here for you_ , he wasn't saying.

She nodded, fear plaguing her as he saw his friend, the woman he was slowly developing feelings for, revert into the nineteen year old college freshman that lost her mother less than two weeks after New Year's, 1999. He picked up the answering machine, brought it over to the coffee table, set it before her, and took his seat beside her. Then, he pressed play.

" _Raglan, shut the door_ ," an unidentified male voice ordered. He felt, more than heard, the hitch in her lungs. " _You've got a lot of balls coming here_."

Kate looked at him, and he could see the confusion in her eyes. He paused the tape, "Do you want to stop? I can take it home, listen to it and let you know what it is."

He saw the indecision in her gaze, and for a _moment_ , for a brief, all-consuming moment he thought she was going to say "Yes". Three simple letters. A sure sign of the trust between them. But then she didn't, her need to know all-consuming. So he restarted the tape, and grabbed her hands.

" _Look, we just want to make sure we're all on the same page_ ," a voice that both he and his partner, friend, knew all too well said. " _You took us for a lot of money, Bracken. We want assurances._ "

"Roy," Kate whispered. Broken. He didn't hesitate to wrap one arm around her shoulders, and pull her into a hard embrace. Too his surprise, she didn't pull away. She didn't cry. She just steadied herself, as she'd done so many times before, seeking what comfort she could from him.

" _Hey_ ," Bracken said, " _be happy I haven't busted the three of you for your little Mafia extortion ring._ "

" _Whoa, relax,_ " the Montgomery of yesteryear said in a rushed voice.

" _No, no. You want assurances? Here you go! I assure you that as easily as I pinned Bob Armen's murder on Pulgatti, I could just as easily put it on the_ **cops that actually did the deed** _."_

"Pulgatti," Kate whispered, real terror in her voice. He turned, not having heard the name before, and awaited her explanation. It came. "Joe Pulgatti. My mom was working on his case when she died. I never followed up on it, because Roy was a rookie uniform on that case, Castle. I trusted him when he said the case was by the book. But…."

"Quiet," he murmured softly, "There's more."

" _Pulgatti knows he's been framed,_ " Roy said, almost as if he was reading off a script. No fear. No anger. Just calm stoicism. " _What if someone gets onto this?_ "

" _Then I'll handle them,_ " the mysterious Bracken said, as the current captain of the 12th asked, " _You? How?_ "

" _I know people, Roy. Dangerous people. Anyone gets to close, like that bitch lawyer Johanna Beckett whose been poking around, I'll have them killed. I've had people killed before._ "

"Castle," she whispered, a true hatred spewing from her mouth and evident in the inflection in her voice. "Please tell me this is some misbegotten prank you set up. Tell me it's, I don't know, something. **Anything**."

He sighed, shaking his head. Kate stiffened in his arms, a choked sob escaping before she could swallow it back down. And soon, she was sobbing. Weeping. Inconsolably.

He could feel the warmth of her tears as they fell onto his shoulder, soaked into the warmth of his shirt. He could feel the ragged puffs of air escaping from her nose, as she tried to come to terms with her own feelings. Then, as he knew it would, he could feel her shoulders tense, ready to spring into action.

"You can't confront him, right now," the writer told her, pleading for her to just listen. She tensed in his arms. And he could tell from the way she was breathing that she was about to let loose on him. "I have a good idea who this Bracken is, Kate. And if I'm right, you're not going to be able to touch him. A NYPD Captain is on this guy's payroll, at worst, or spying on him at best."

"And what do I do, Castle. Let Roy get away with murder? Let my mom's killer go, let him stay free?"

"No," he said hurriedly. "Hell no. We're going to get this guy. But, let me make a few calls, first. Let's keep this between us, at least for a few days. Give me a few days, Kate, to see if one of my guys can help us."

"Who is this guy, Castle? Why are you so afraid of him?"

"Because," Rick said, looking her in the eyes, "If I'm right, then I'm one of his campaign contributors."

Her eyes widened, an ashen look crossing her face as she expelled a breath. "I think," He continued, "That's the _not so Honorable_ William H. Bracken of New York. So give me a few days, keep the tape if you want, if you can't trust me to keep it safe. I'd understand, considering what I've just told you. But sit on it. If I haven't told you to move in five days, then do what you have too, Kate. Please."

"You didn't know he was dirty?"

"If I knew he was dirty, would have I let him in the house, while Alexis was there?" he asked, and saw the understanding in her eyes. She shook her head, answering "No" aloud, then handed him the cassette back. "Five days, Castle. Then I tell Espo, and Ryan."

"Five days," he agreed. That didn't really give him much time.


	3. The Spy

Chapter Three: **A/N: See note at bottom.**

He was panicking. He knew he was. And he knew that if he didn't stop, nothing would get done. He'd leave his partner, his friend, bereft of the hope she'd admitted he brought into her life, true, but more importantly he'd let her down. The problem, of course, was that he had no clue how to go about fixing everything.

But he was Richard Castle, multimillionaire author of twenty-six bestselling novels, with connections going from the CIA, to the lowest dregs of society. If anyone was going to be able to do this, make a dent in the conspiracy surrounding Johanna Beckett, and help heal his muse, his friend, then damn it, it was going to be him.

Setting aside the fact his nemesis is a high-ranking Senator with aspirations of taking the big chair in twenty-sixteen, who had access to the upper echelons of the government, he was just a man. And men, Richard Castle knew, were arrogant creatures of habit.

If Senator Bracken were like any other man, his arrogance was going to be the writers' weapon. So phase one, making Kate Beckett untouchable. Only, how to go about that. The easy option would be to call Bracken directly, blackmail. But, he wasn't stupid.

He could, of course, contribute more to the man's campaign fund, in Johanna Beckett's name, as a sort of warning. But, no, that'd put Beckett in the man's crosshairs.

There is, of course, the option he'd prefer. Taking Kate Beckett to Vegas, Atlantic City, or City Hall, marry her, and invite the paparazzi to take pictures. Make her a public figure. Of course, there's the fact that Kate Beckett would be more likely to kill him.

Damn. He'd have to ask her which option she'd prefer, or even ask her for her own opinion.

So, that's off the table for now.

Phase two, then. Phase two was easy. Well, almost easy. His first step was to a corner store. And he knew the perfect one. He walked down, and out of his building, telling his doorman that he was going out, and that he'd be back in an hour at the latest. Eduardo was a good sport, as he amicably waved and wished him good luck for whatever he had to do.

He hailed a cab, and asked them to take him to a nightclub downtown, one he'd frequented in his wild-child days before Kate Beckett entered his life. Once he'd gone paid, he walked to the ATM down the street, pulled out five thousand dollars using different cards, something he'd done so often, no one would look thrice, even if the sum did seem incongruous so late at night.

Then, after he'd been there for about ten minutes, he walked out, hailed another cab, and asked them to take him to a bodega he remembered not having security cameras outside the building.

Once he'd gotten there, he approached a loitering teenager.

"Hey, I'm Adam Meltzer."

The sixteen year old eyed him, but shrugged. Rick smirked, "I need a favor. I need you to go inside this store, and buy a cell phone, and one phone card. I'll give you a thousand dollars, you keep the change, and you forget you ever knew me."

The teen scoffed, but his eyes grew wide, as Rick slowly counted out nine one-hundred dollar bills, four twenties, and two tens. The boy agreed quickly after that, and came out a few minutes, with a tracfone®, and a sixty minute card, the difference already pocketed. The writer nodded, and walked away softly.

Once he was a block away, from the store, Rick hailed a cab, and asked to be taken to the New York Public Library. Once he was there, he asked the on-duty librarian if she had a pair of scissors. The woman nodded, and Rick asked her if he could bother her to open the plastic casing on the phone.

She shrugged, pulled them out, took the phone out of the package, and a few minutes later handed him the phone. Rick thanked her, pocketed the power cord, and asked to use a quiet corner of the library to charge the phone. She nodded, and directed him to one.

Once he was safely tucked away in a room with no cameras, Rick smirked and placed the battery in, turned on, activated the phone using Adam Meltzer's name, and dialed one number.

"Thai food is pleasing to the tongue," was his simple message. Once a second passed, Rick turned the phone off, removed the battery, took out the sim card (which he'd pocketed), and threw the battery away in a trash can.

Then he exited the library out the front door, told the woman that the phone didn't come with a sim card, and gave her the charger for another person later. As he exited the library, Rick hailed another cab, and asked to be taken to the closest TJ McChucklenuts. Once he was let out, he walked inside, and "accidentally" bumped into the large guy in front of him, who spun angrily and pushed him, causing the writer to "drop" his phone, where the man looked down, stepped on the phone, breaking it, and looked back up at him. Castle sighed, holding his hand up and said, "Hey man, I'm Adam Meltzer, sorry about bumping into you. Can I buy a round for you and your friends as an apology?"

The guy looked at his friends, and nodded. Castle looked around, then walked to the bar and said, "How many drinks will three thousand dollars buy?"

The man looked up, and Castle looked up seeing where the bar manager was sat. The man's eyes widened as the bartender said something in a mic, but gave him an answer.

"The boss says if you pay upfront, that amount will buy drinks until midnight."

Castle smirked, and pulled thirty fresh one-hundred dollar bills, which the bartender carefully tested with a Dri Mark® Counterfeit Money Detector pin, that bit of trivia he'd pulled for an unused Storm novel. Once the man had confirmed they were all real, the manager stood up and said, "A patron has just bought all the rounds until midnight."

A cheer raised up, and Castle smirked, and said, "Here's five hundred tip for you and the waitress to share, and another five hundred for the house."

The bartender pocketed his cut immediately, counting exact change out of the till for the other hundred, placed the waitresses cut in her tip jar, and carefully placed the rest of the tips in the till for his boss, who nodded after he'd explained what the writer had done. Then, Rick said, "I bumped into a tall, six-foot-three biker earlier, his friends are expecting first rounds."

The bartender looked over and said, "Yeah, Mad Mike and his crew are usually good guys once you offer to buy them a few rounds. I'll have Shirley take theirs over first, just tell Mike."

Castle nodded, and said, "I'll take a scotch, and be on my way."

The bartender nodded, and poured him one, which Castle quickly downed, before he walked away, stopping before the man he now knew as Mike and said, "Will that be okay?"

The biker laughed and said, "For that amount, boy, I'd let you into the club."

Castle laughed, reached out his hand and said, "Sorry about that. You guys have a great night."

Once he was outside, Castle's face scrunched up at the poor quality of the scotch, and hailed a taxi, giving a random address that was close to midtown, and paid with some of the money he'd had before going to the ATM earlier. Once he'd been let out at midtown, Castle hailed a final taxi, and gave his address.

Once he'd reached back home, Rick slumped in exhaustion, a giddy feeling making up for the fatigue. Once he reached his bedroom, Rick fell into bed without undressing, asleep before his head hit the pillow.

Scene Break!

Once he'd awoken the next morning, Castle got up, and dressed casually, before meeting mother and Alexis for breakfast. "Mother," he said calmly, "Can you call Beckett, and tell her that I'm going to be a bit late today? I forgot to charge my phone last night."

His mother rolled her eyes, something he'd noticed the women in his life were developing into a nasty habit, but nodded and pulled her phone out. He kissed Alexis on the cheek, gave his mother one and was gone within minutes.

He stopped by a coffee shop, ordered a skinny peppermint mocha, a cinnamon dolce macchiato and two pastries, before walking to the park, finding the most remote location, and sitting down.

Half an hour passed, before he felt someone sit down beside him.

"Is that a skinny peppermint mocha? I've been running like crazy and haven't had time to get one. Are you waiting for anyone, or can you spare one?"

Castle handed it over, doing his best to avert his eyes like Gray had taught him. It didn't work to well, as he'd gained enough information to describe him. The man, six foot four give or take an inch, was around two-hundred fifteen pounds, with white hair and a startlingly familiar shade of blue eyes.

"What do you need?" the man asked shortly, taking a sip of the coffee, a surprised look on his face as he said, "Damn, this is good, thanks man."

"I have information on a corrupt United States Senator, and need to know if you can do anything to bring him down." Rick whispered softly, as Agent Gray told him all those years ago when he'd first approached the CIA for insight on spycraft.

The man's form became ridged and he said, "What information?" lightly underneath his breath while aloud he said, "I'm Jackson Hunt, by the way."

"I have a tape on which he confesses to having had people murdered, and implicated himself in the murder of a lawyer, the mother of a friend, amongst other things." Castle said softly. Then he smirked, "I'm Adam Meltzer, Mister Hunt. And it's not a problem, my girlfriend got called into work and wasn't able to make it, so I was more than happy to share."

The spy smirked, "What is the proof?"

"A cassette tape made sometime before January 9, 1999. I have a recording of the tape, but left the actual evidence somewhere safe."

The man nodded, "I'll need a copy of the recording, and officially I need to tell you that I cannot operate on U.S. soil. However," the man said studying, "If you'll allow me to extend the olive branch to a few of my contacts, we can begin the process quietly. Keep your friend out of the spotlight, or cultivate her as an asset. Your choice, but keep her off the trail as long as you can."

Rick shivered, "How? How do I know I can trust you?"

The man looked at him, and sighed, "You can trust me because I created the safety procedures you used last night to call for help. You can trust me, Richard, because," here the man paused, "Because July 31, 1968, I met Martha Rodgers, and for one night I thought I could have a normal life, a normal family. Of course, it didn't work out that way. I'd just finished a job for the U.N, or at least I thought I had. The next day, things went south and I had to get out of the city fast. It was a year before I was stateside again. That's when I found out about you. And I'm sorry, but what I do means no communication, no relationship with anyone. But, I've been around… we've met before."

At Rick's shocked look the man clarified, "When you were about ten, your mother took you to the library. You were looking for a book, and I gave you a copy of…"

"Casino Royale," Rick interrupted. Jackson smiled, "Yeah. I couldn't believe it when I read your first spy novel. I even greased some wheels at the CIA, that's why you have a relationship with Gray, that's how you got in with Sofia Turner, which is a whole different mess. But, anyway, that's why I'm saying that you can trust me. If for no other reason, then because I want to make it up to you, and I want to feel like a father, for once."

The writer took a deep breath, and reached his hand forward, "I'd like that, dad."

The spy let out a deep breath. "I'd like to ask that you keep this between you and me, but I know that if that lady Detective of yours is going to help, you'll have to explain to her, and I know that you'll need to explain it to your mother and Alexis, so just try to keep it quiet, OK?"

He nodded. Jackson sighed, before he said, "Alright. Oh, I took the liberty of getting you an untraceable clone of your phone. It's already active, and you can use it instead of going through all the trouble you did last night. You'll need to destroy the other one, or keep them both, but use this one when you absolutely have to remain undetected."

The writer nodded. "My friend has only agreed to give me five days to get something started. What should I do?"

Jackson said, "Tell her what you need to, but keep her out of the crosshairs, if you can."

"Okay," Rick said. "How can I contact you, and where do I send the recording?"

To his surprise, Jackson said, "My information is on your phone, Adam," before he stood and said, "You have a good day, Mister Meltzer. It was nice meeting you."

Rick nodded, and stood before he said, "You too, Mister Hunt, glad I could help."

Scene Break

Rick walked into the precinct, walking towards Kate, holding out her grand skim latte with two pumps sugar free vanilla, which she took gratefully. Rick smiled, sitting at his chair and said, "Good afternoon, Beckett."

She turned, her eyes haunted. His face fell, as he said, "Are you alright, Kate?"

"No," she said looking over at the Captain's office, where Roy was on the phone. Every few minutes he'd gesticulate, some asinine movement that was meant to be impressive, but wasn't. Rick turned his attention back to his friend, and said, "Would you like to come over to the loft tonight? We could order out, and talk about the progress I've made."

She shot her look to him much quicker than he expected, and looked down at her watch, before sighing and standing up, before walking to Roy's office. Rick silently watched her knock on the captain's door, and enter upon prompting. He watched their silent conversation, and saw him nod, before she raised her hand and walked out.

He saw the sigh of relief on her face as Kate made her way over to him, saying, "I've taken a few days off, told him I haven't been sleeping well."

Rick nodded, and said, "Well, it's suspicious, but not to out of the realm of possibility. We'll take you by the doctor's office, just to sell the point, unless you've used vacation days."

She nodded, "the rest of today, tomorrow and the day after. So come on, writer monkey, let's get out of here."

Rick picked up her bag, ignoring the angry look of protest on her face as he said, "You're not feeling well, according to you, so just go with it."

Kate sighed, irritated.

SCENE BREAK

They arrived at the loft within an hour, and at once Castle took her to his study, where he walked over to the safe, and opened it, stepping back so that Kate could put her gun inside. She looked at the tape, and he could tell she was anxious to reach for it and run, but took a deep breath and stepped back.

He smiled in relief, before she walked out of the study, and back into his living room. Rick quickly placed the untraceable phone in the safe, and closed the door, before securing it, and then followed Kate into the living room.

Once they were both there, Kate settled into the corner of the couch and stared at him. Rick sighed, "I met with someone this morning, and agreed to hand over a recording of the tape. I haven't sent it yet, because I want to explain who he is and what he does to you so you can approve or deny my plan."

Kate nodded, "Okay."

"You remember Agent Gray?"

She nodded. "I met the guy that got me access to the CIA. My father."

Kate's eyes widened and her hand came up, cupping her open mouth as she said, "Are you sure?"

Rick nodded. "Yeah, he even told me that I could tell you, mother and Alexis about him, and I figure if anyone would recognize him from a description, it would be mother."

Kate smiled, genuinely happy for her friend, though she said, "Why do you want me to agree?"

"Because this isn't about me, Kate. It's about your mom, and you should have final say even if I think it's a great idea."

Touched, she placed her hand atop his and squeezed gently. "Thanks Castle. I really appreciate your support. How long, do you think, will it take to get the file to him?"

He took out his phone, opened up his contact list and found the newest contact, "J. Hunt", and showed it to her. Then, he opened up a new message, attached the recording, and sent it. Within two minutes, there was a confirmation mail, saying that he was going to approach one of his FBI contacts, and would get ahold of him in the next day or two.

Kate took a deep breath, and nodded. "Do you think this has a chance of working?"

"I think we're going to have to believe it, because I don't think we can do this ourselves, and Montgomery can't help at all."

She nodded in agreement. "What about Espo and Ryan? Should we tell them?"

"That, Kate, is completely up to you. I would wait until my dad gets back in touch with me, before we make any more decisions, though."

Kate nodded, "Yeah. Thanks, Castle."

Rick smiled.

I'm looking for a full-time Beta Reader for my #Castle, #Naruto, or #CriminalMinds fanfiction. If you're interested, contact me please. RT


	4. The Meeting

Chapter Four

He sighed, snuggling into the warm body at his side. His hand was cupping the warm flesh of a woman's breast, as she pressed firmly into his morning excitement. A groan echoed forth from his mouth as she wiggled, a soft snort coming forth from the woman to who's identity, at this moment, he did not know.

His last memory of the night before had him sharing a drink with the delectable Kate Beckett. If he had ended up in some strumpet's bed, or worse ended up with said strumpet in his after the wonderful night with the exquisite detective, Rick would never forgive himself. Burying his nose in the woman's hair, Rick was almost relieved that his companion smelled of cherries. And apparently, his companion appreciated his ministrations, because she was doing wonderful things to his nether regions.

"Castle, quit playing with my boobs," Kate's voice echoed around him. He stilled, almost instinctively scared that she was going to kill him. "They're starting to get sore."

"Kate," he whispered, almost relieved.

"Who were you expecting, Ellie Monroe?" she asked sarcastically.

"Good God no," Rick said.

Kate's breath caught as she heard his response. "Why not, Castle?"

Rick sighed. "I was hoping that I'd fallen asleep with you, Kate. I think I would have been disappointed if you were anyone else."

He couldn't see her face, spooning against her as he was, but Rick could almost feel the glee of his statement in her posture. "That's sweet, Castle. Truth be told, I was hoping that you were the one snuggling up to me. It felt good."

"Yeah," Rick agreed, "I kind of got that picture when you said 'Castle''. Reluctantly, he noticed that his hand was still cupping her, but he was glad to notice that he was no longer caressing her, something he was sure that the woman would kill him for.

"I didn't realize your bed was so soft," Kate commented a moment later. "I expected you to be more of a hard mattress kind of guy."

"Not at all, Kate. I'm not usually too particular, truth be told. I've slept in enough hotels during book signings that I can sleep on either. I bought this mattress after my marriage to Gina fell apart. I didn't want the constant reminder that I'd failed again."

"Oh," Kate said, as she shifted on the mattress to get more comfortable. "Well, it's a good one. I feel like I could sleep for a few more hours."

"Well," the writer said, as he pulled her even closer, if that were possible, "you do have today off, Kate. Tomorrow, too if I remember correctly."

Kate's breath hitched as she felt his hot breath on the back of her neck, and she shivered in delight at the sensations it caused. A groan of comfort told the writer that his friend, and inspiration, was all too ready to acquiesce. Silence echoed around them, and gently, Castle moved his hand from its resting place, laying it on her side, where he started stroking her softly. Neither noticed as they fell back to sleep.

It wasn't until two hours later, that they awoke, the victims of twin shrill phone calls. Kate sat up first, her arms stretching out as she grabbed for the nearest phone, and studied it for the briefest of moments. Rick wondered why she hadn't answered it, until he noticed it was his. "Who is it?"

"Your dad," Kate said, the fear in her voice readily apparent. Rick rubbed her shoulder, and grabbed phone from her gently, and placing it on speaker. "Adam Meltzer".

Kate's eyes narrowed and she snorted in amusement, having gotten the joke almost immediately. "With Cassandra Grace listening in."

She smacked his arm, her eyes narrowing as she whispered, "Not cool."

"This is Jackson Hunt calling, Mister Meltzer. I've found a piece that meets all the qualifications you desire, and a Jenna Shawls with Furniture Brands, International has agreed to speak with you. The chest of drawers is a beautiful piece, and I have sent a picture to your email."

"Thank you, Mister Hunt. We look forward to hearing from Miss Shawls."

"Yes, thank you Mister Hunt." Kate said softly. "Miss Grace, it was my absolute pleasure to serve you today. Now, I need to get going, I have other clients to call and deliver not as welcome news."

"Good luck," Rick said. She could see her friend was just barely resisting calling the man dad, and so grabbed the phone and pressed end. She sighed, as he shot her a hurt look, but was glad to see that it didn't last long since the writer seemed to understand why she'd done what she did.

"Should we open the email?" Rick asked after a few minutes. Kate nodded softly, and said, "Yeah."

They did so, and Kate gasped, as she took in the scene, a man and woman standing beside a beautiful chest of drawers that was there, and though the Chest of Drawers was indeed beautiful, Kate couldn't help but see the resemblance between the man and her bed mate. "You look a lot like him, Rick."

"Yeah, I think so too,"

"Are you going to tell Martha and Alexis today?"

"I think so," Rick said softly, "It will give mother peace of mind, at least."

"Yeah. Rick," she said softly, "Thank you so much. You're taking a humongous risk, and I have really taken advantage of your generosity."

"Kate," Rick said running his hand along her cheek, his thumb swiping at the tear streaking down her face, "I would do this and more for you. Your mom deserves justice, and you deserve, if nothing else, the same peace of mind."

Kate looked at him, a soft, shy smile covering her face as she shifted closer to him, wrapping her arm around his broad shoulders, and laying her head on them. Rick didn't hesitate to return the hug as fervently as it was given.

"You're doing so much more than helping me with something that's haunted me, Rick. I want you to know that."

"I do," Rick said softly. They just sat on the bed, staring into each other's eyes, neither wanting to shatter the moment, though both knew it had to end.

"I," they both started at the same time, chuckling as they took in the gaze of the other. It was almost comic the way their minds worked so closely together.

"You can use the shower first," Rick offered. Kate smiled, "I'd appreciate that. Do you think I can borrow some clothes from Alexis?"

"I'll go up and ask if she has anything in your size," he said, before pausing, "Thank you for trusting me, Kate."

"You're welcome, Rick."

As he walked out of the room, his heart was lighter than it had been in a long while, since the first time he'd held Alexis in his arms. As he approached the door to his daughters room, Rick smiled as his knuckles rapped on the door, the staccato beat enough to awaken Alexis, the light sleeper.

"Dad," she mumbled, "What time is it?"

"Six thirty Pumpkin," the author answered, "I know you were planning on sleeping in today, but I need to ask you a question, followed by a short household meeting. Beckett is going to be staying with us for a couple of days, and she forgot to grab some clothes from her apartment, do you think she could borrow something of yours?"

Alexis smiled, "Dad, we're two completely different body types, nothing of mine will fit her. I think I have a few things mom bought that she said I can 'grow into', so I'll try to find them, and if I do, bring some of those down for her, dad."

"Thanks Pumpkin, Kate is in my bathroom. We'll explain what's going on after everyone gets up and ready. Until then I'll start on some breakfast. Do you want anything special?"

"Chocolate chip waffles," Alexis smiled. Rick hugged his daughter, silently thinking the universe for the wonderful woman she was turning out to be. As he left the room, the author walked quietly down the hallway to his mother's bedroom, where, as before, he rapped silently on her door. After a few moments of not receiving an answer, he pulled his phone, and dialed her number, and was unsurprised when the call went to voicemail.

Walking away from the bedroom, Rick made his way down the stairs, started a pot of coffee, and pulled the waffle iron, and a couple of his frying pans out of the cupboards.

Within ten minutes, Alexis was dressed, and downstairs, holding an armful of her clothes which she took on through to his bedroom. In any other circumstance, the on-going commotion around him would have made the author ecstatic. As it was, the details explaining why the Detective was staying for the foreseeable future had dampened what would have otherwise been an enjoyable experience.

Still, as his daughter came out with a fresh faced Detective, Rick couldn't help but see the happiness on the two women's faces. And despite the fact that he knew the hard-nosed detective was wearing his daughters clothes (regardless of the fact that his daughter had never worn them), Rick couldn't help the way his eyes raked over the sight before him.

Kate was beautiful. The tight, Hayley Blue t-shirt matched well with the dark, navy blue jeans that the woman was wearing, though Rick noticed happily that Kate wasn't wearing a bra.

"See something you like Castle," Kate playfully asked, placing her hands on her hip and giving him her patented glare-slash-eye roll. Rick looked at his daughter, who was staring at him with clear embarrassment on her face, which prompted him to swallow his loose comment.

Turning back to the stove, Rick calmly placed the first batch on a warming plate, before placing the next batch onto cook, listening silently to his daughter and best friend making easy conversation. It was as he neared completion, already having three plates of chocolate chip waffles, egg whites, and coffee/orange juice (Alexis was still too young, in his opinion, to enjoy the bitter drink), that the door swung open and his mother waltzed inside.

"Mother, we were just about to have breakfast, would you like to join us," he asked as he turned away from the stove for the moment?

"Katherine," the woman said as she ignored her son's question, "You look marvelous, darling."

"Hey Martha," the detective said softly, returning the woman's exuberant hug, "Thank you. Apparently Meredith bought these for Alexis who graciously allowed me to borrow them."

"Good job, kiddo," the woman said to her granddaughter, "I thought you were going to sleep in this morning?"

"Dad said we need to have a family meeting," Alexis said calmly. "We're just waiting on him to finish breakfast."

About this time, Rick finally had his mother's attention, who smiled and said, "Good morning, kiddo!"

"Morning mother," Rick said, watching as his mother sat down at the counter. "You never did answer my question, mother."

"I've already eaten, dear. I had a very enjoyable breakfast with Eric Roberts this morning."

With that, the author picked up the serving tray and placed it on the counter, and watched as Alexis and Kate both grabbed a plate. Rick took his own, and silently picked at his food, watching the three most important women in his life making silent conversation. He was nervous, the author could admit. He was terrified. His mother had never spoken about his father, going as far as to tell him that the man was a one-night-stand that she never forgot.

And Alexis had never before asked about his absentee father directly, though she had many times by proxy when questioning about the status of her own mother.

Meredith, on the other hand, only cared about his father as far as how much more it would cost to include him in their wedding. The day he'd told her that he had one, and that was it, was the last his ex-wife number one had cared.

Gina, believe it or not, was the worse of his two ex-wives. She had asked about his father twice. The first, like Meredith, was whether or not the man would be at his wedding. The second, she had used the fact that he'd never had a 'stable' male role model against him during their divorce proceedings in an attempt to take Alexis from him.

None of his other female friends, dalliances or otherwise, had bothered to care. Kate, he could accept, they'd only known each other a year, and only recently had Kate forgiven him for his interference in her mother's case. And as soon as he told her about him, the resplendent detective had inadvertently given him carte blanche to do as he will concerning her mothers' case. An action which showed the level of trust, subconscious or not, Katherine Houghton Beckett felt for him.

So with one last, absent, look to the object of his affection Rick cleared his throat and said, "Alright, we need to talk."

It was remarkable the unity that one, albeit dire, sentence provoked. Within moments, Alexis' plate was clear and mother was shooting looks between the three of them, before her eyes settled on Kate's as she said, "What's the matter kiddo?"

Kate startled, surprised, at mother as her face went slack. Rick noticed that it was the same look the real-life inspiration behind Nikki Heat wore when interrogating a scab. Within seconds more of mother's knowing gaze Kate sighed and leaned her head forward as she said, "Your son is amazing, Martha."

His mother smiled, even as Alexis' face lit aglow as she said, "I like to think so, Detective Beckett!"

"Okay," he said drawing attention away from the beleaguered detective, "First things first, whatever is said in here needs to remain so. That means you can't go to school talking about this, and mother you, especially, cannot tell any of your friends."

As he got their responding nods, their faces showing the seriousness of what was happening, Rick sighed, "We found evidence implicating that someone we know was personally involved in Johanna Beckett's murder.

A sudden chill swept through them, as Alexis' eyes widened, and she stood and walked the foot between Kate and herself, and wrapped her arms around the detective. Rick smiled as Kate instinctively returned the affection, and then looked back at his mother, whose eyes were narrowed. "Richard? What else is there?"

"It's Bracken," Rick said calmly, watching Alexis' eyes widen as she said, "Bill? Dad, are you sure?"

"Yeah," Rick said, "We found a tape that was hidden in Johanna's things, Pumpkin. I recognized his voice almost immediately. The good news is that Bracken doesn't know that we are onto him. The bad news," he sighed, "is that when he finds out Beckett becomes public enemy number one."

"Oh Katherine," his mother stood, walking over and adding her own limbs to the woman's shoulders. "We wouldn't be having this conversation if Richard didn't already have a plan in place. So get on with it, Kiddo."

"You all remember Agent Grey?"

"Ducky!" his daughter smiled, "You contacted him?"

"No. But, I used the safety protocols that he set up for us a long time ago. I got into contact with someone at the CIA, who I trust to do what is necessary to keep us all safe. And this is where it gets really complicated."

Kate's snort drew their attention, as she said, "Understatement of the year, Castle."

Martha looked at the woman and said, "Richard, a man we helped get elected to the United States Senate is a murderer, on top of who else knows how much more. I think I speak for Alexis and myself when I say 'how much more complicated can this situation get?'"

"Yeah," Alexis piped up, "This is multiple shades of bad, dad."

"The contact at the CIA knows us. It's someone that I never thought we would ever see, and someone that we all owe our lives too."

"Sophia?" Alexis asked softly. Rick turned and shook his head, not surprised but intrigued that his daughter remembered the CIA Agent that inspired Clara Strike, "No, not Sophia, Pumpkin. My father."

"Richard Alexander Rodgers!" his mother stood, her hands on her hips as she said, "What in blazes are you talking about?"

Rick winced as he looked at Kate, who was smiling bemusedly at him, mouthing 'Alexander' as she did so, before she rolled her eyes. Rick sighed, and pulled out his satellite phone, pulled up the picture that was taken less than ten hours ago, and passed it to his mother. The very second that Martha Rodgers laid eyes on the man he knew as Jackson Hunt, her breath hitched and she said, "It's him. Oh dear Lord, it's him."

He shot an inquisitive look at Alexis, who was barely restraining the urge to reach for the phone. He could tell that his daughter was equally desperate to look upon her grandfather for the first time, even though she could clearly tell that her grams need was more palpable. After a few minutes, mother held the phone out to Alexis, who almost snatched it in response.

"He hasn't changed a bit," Martha said as her breath hitched, and tears came to her eyes. "Did he say anything? Did he explain why he never came back?"

"Yes," Rick said. "Are you sure you want to know?"

His mother's response was a strict "Yes". So he told her, with Alexis and Kate listening on silently. He could see the inquisitive nature of Kate Beckett shining through as she put together a mental timeline of events that Jackson Hunt had a direct hand in.

And when, in that final moment, when Rick told his mother that Jackson Hunt was the reason he became a writer, of that fateful day in the New York Public Library when he handed a young Richard Rodgers "Casino Royale" to enjoy, his mother's spine proverbially broke and she cried.

Alexis was on her in seconds, her arms already in motion to caress her grams after years of wonder and worry came to the surface. He smiled, watching the scene as Kate, to his surprise, wrapped his mother in comfort as his mother had done only moments before, the detective's own tears mingling with the others shed, her own will having broken and emotional distress overflowing.

He silently gathered up the dirty dishes, rinsing them before placing them into the dishwasher.

Once he was sure that his ladies were better, Rick silently sat back down and said, "Now, we need to decide what to do. Kate has given me a few days, three of which have already been used, to get something started on her mother's case. Soon, noise is going to start being made, and we're going to need have a plan that makes sure all of us, including Kate's father and our friends at the precinct, are safe. I'm open to suggestions."

Kate, he noticed, looked shocked as realization that she hadn't told her father anything pierced her mind. She paled considerably, before anger crossed her features as she said, "How could I have been so stupid!"

"Kate," Rick stood almost seconds before she did, and moved to intercept the detective who was already trotting towards the door.

"I haven't told him Rick," she said stating what he'd already come to realize, the self-recriminations scathing. Instinctively, the author wrapped his arms around her shoulders as he caught up to her just before the door, swinging himself around and turning into a hug.

"I realized that moments before you did," Rick said, "And while your dad has the right to know, at this point storming to his office, or home, and telling him anything would put all of us in extreme amounts of danger. We will tell him, Kate. We just need to sit down and plan how without drawing attention."

Kate settled almost immediately, her breathless sigh speaking louder than words can convey. Rick's eyes flickered to his daughter, whose face was contorted in what he'd come to recognize as her deliberating face. Her unblinking stare and puffed nose a sign that his daughter was trying to convince herself out of something.

"What is it Kiddo," his mother asked, drawing both his and Kate back to the counter where Alexis said, "Well, we need to do something big for Detective Beckett and her dad, right? It has to be something that will draw the public eye, right?"

"Yes," Rick and Kate said, both locking eyes as if in agreement.

"What about going to the next book signing together? Detective Beckett can take off a few days from work and make a special appearance at your Los Angeles "Heat Wave" signing."

"I'm not sure that's big enough, Kiddo," Martha said. "Even if they go together and ham it up all night, the papers could just see her as his latest Page 6 bimbette. That said, the idea is a good starting point," she paused looking a little gleeful. "What about a Johanna Beckett fundraiser?"

"No," Rick said quickly, drawing a shocked look from the detective beside him. "No, the last thing we need is to draw any attention to Johanna Beckett with the investigation that's been started. It might make Bracken nervous."

"Oh," Kate said blushing furiously as she said, "I thought…"

"I know," Rick said, "If this were even a couple years later, I'd be all for it, no one would doubt my reasons if we were well-known friends, but right now it would look too suspicious especially after the fiasco with Dick Coonan."

"That's right," Martha said, "That'd have William all over us."

"It's easy to forget that you guys know the Senator so well," Kate said softly. Martha sighed, "Dear, you need to understand something about Richard. William Bracken came during his last re-election campaign asking for a contribution. Rick agreed only if the Senator would promise to do something to improve the libraries and museums in and around the State of New York."

"That was you?" Kate asked. "I remember voting for Bracken because of his stance on education, including those things."

"Yeah," Rick said, "I contribute around three million a year to various organizations, political movements, and charities. Until now I've never had reason to doubt those I placed my trust in, and I've had very good results."

"Oh," Kate said, swallowing heavily.

"What about you guys dating?" Alexis then asked, before blushing heavily. "I mean, that'd be pretty high profile right?"

"Not enough," Kate said, "Most of our cases involve someone's boyfriend or girlfriend being murdered. Being involved with someone is no more likely to keep a sniper scope off of a person."

Alexis then paused, and Rick's heart almost stopped at what she said next.

"What about marriage?"

He felt Kate's shoulders tense as her arms tightened around him, her breathing very rapid. He knew why. Kate was a one-and-done kind of woman. She'd said so herself, that she was going to marry one person, and be with them for the rest of their lives. Even a temporary, fake, marriage would mar the subject to her.

"That could work," he heard his mother say. "It would certainly be high profile enough, and it would go with the theme that we're trying to pattern. A well-known police officer, and the inspiration behind Nikki Heat marrying the author of said books, and a police consultant at that? That would be monumental. Black Pawn would plaster your pictures all over the city!"

"Yes mother," Rick said calmly, "but Kate is not the type of person to…"

"Rick," the woman in his arms said cutting him off. "She's right about a lot of that, and you know it."

"I know," Rick said. "But you said…" he started softly as Kate said, "Castle. Rick, it's a good idea. Not one that we need to focus on completely, but we equally need not disregard it… if you're willing I mean."

Rick froze, his eyes shooting to his daughter, who even now blushed scarlet, and to his mother who was smiling so widely that it was hypnotic. Then he looked to Kate, who was nibbling on her lip in nervousness as he'd seen her do so many times before.

"I'm willing, Kate, for so many reasons. However, let's brainstorm for at least the next couple of days. Even if you agreed right now, unless we head to Vegas, it will be at least twenty-four hours before the magistrate can perform a marriage unless we get a judicial waiver. And that," he stopped as Kate continued, "Requires a valid explanation as to why the waiver must be given. I know."

"It's crazy how you two do that," Alexis said amusedly.

"What about wearing an engagement ring?" Martha asked. "You two spend nearly eighteen hours a day together, surely if you were to wear an engagement ring that would have the same type of significance until you two decide whether or not you need the added protection."

"It might," Kate said, "But the biggest problem with all of this is that the guys at the precinct wouldn't believe we got engaged, or married for that matter, without telling anyone. And Lanie would kill me."

Alexis nodded firmly, "Yeah Doctor Parish would so kill you Detective Beckett."

Kate turned to his daughter, "Alexis, I'm certain that by now we're well beyond the need for you to call me that. You can call me Kate."

Martha sighed and said, "Well, take the day together. Visit the museum, go to Central Park, or hell go the Hamptons for the week. If you're right about them, then Vegas would be your best bet for believability unless you start laying the groundwork."

"Alexis," Kate said softly, "I… we won't do anything without you saying it's alright. Rick is your dad before anything, and I don't want to come between you."

Alexis smiled but said, "It's not ideal. I like you, Detective Beckett, but dad's been hurt plenty of times by my mom and Gina, and I just don't want him to get hurt again. But I know that if Dad did marry you, he'd be totally in it cause of how much he likes you."

Kate's shoulders tightened again, but before Rick could start chastising her, Kate said, "I know he would."

"That said, I think you like my dad too, or you wouldn't have taken him back after last year. Sure, you're probably still a little mad, but you still did so. I think that if you two could make your work relationship work after that, then marriage would be a lot easier."

Kate smiled, "You're a lucky kid, you know. Your dad is a great guy, and he's really grown up a lot over the past year. I promise we won't make any big decisions without talking to you first."

"Unless it's needed at the time," Rick corrected, "And then we'll explain in detail why we did so, Pumpkin."

"Alright," Alexis said yawning. "I think I'll head back to bed for an hour or so. Grams?"

"Right behind you kiddo," Martha said standing up and walking around the room, "You two kids behave yourselves. Richard, if your father calls, tell him I'd like to speak with him, will you?"

"Alright mother,' Rick said, watching his mother and daughter walking up the stairs. As the last of the duo reached the top of the stairs, Rick turned and said, "Well, they're right about one thing. Laying the groundwork for anything that comes after would be a monumental step in believability, and honestly spending time with you doesn't bother me at all. So, would you like to join me on the Los Angeles book tour?"

Kate smiled briefly, relieved that her favorite author, and best male friend, was so willing to help her. As she gathered her courage, the Detective wrapped her arms back around him, and pulled him closer as she said, "Thank you, Castle. Yes, I'd like to join you on the tour."

"Kate, you're my best friend. You're also someone I respect, and admire, so I'd do anything to help you, and I'd be happy doing so. I won't lie and say that I'd not fight like hell to keep you after we're all safe, but it would ultimately be your decision, and I'd respect it no matter what."

Kate blushed brightly, smiling widely as she said, "That's my biggest concern about all this, you know: all this talk of relationships, engagements and marriages all to keep me safe from Bracken, the investigation which your absentee, CIA father is running, and the rest of your family is being put in the proverbial crosshairs for. I'd hate to lose any of you, for something to happen to you, or Alexis and Martha, even and especially if this results in bringing my mother's killer to justice."

Rick nodded, "And that is why we're so willing to help you, Beckett. That's why I think the first step is that we agree here, now, that the day you go back to the precinct, we publicly make plans for the Los Angeles trip, make everyone at the precinct think that in light of what's happened with your mother's case, you've finally fallen for my advances," he paused sheepishly to look at the small glare that Kate was throwing his way, followed by a wholly warranted eye roll.

"That way," he started, though he was unsurprised when Kate finished, "If we decide Alexis' plan is the safest route, no one will be surprised we ended up married."

Rick nodded smiling smugly. Kate glared and said, "Okay Castle, it's a good plan, and a smart one since I've already agreed to go to LA with you."

"Alright. And Kate, it is completely your decision to make, and even if I suggest it, you have the right to refuse. Don't forget that we're still brainstorming ideas, and might find one that fits better."

"Alright," Kate whispered. As Rick stood up, excusing himself to the bathroom, he was unsurprised that as he reached his bedroom door, Kate's soft whisper caught his ear. The soft, "And Rick…" reverbing through the silent room. As he turned, Kate's smiling face caught his attention, as she softly whispered, "Thank you."

"Always."


	5. The Gunfire

I'd like to thank my new beta **thebazilelord** (UserID: 4524068) for her work on making this legible!

Chapter Five:

By noon, Kate was completely desperate to start her own investigation into the corrupt Senator, and convinced that she needed to head back to work as soon as possible to keep the eyes of her fallen hero off of her. Rick was doing everything in his power to keep her in his apartment since she wasn't expected back until the following Monday.

It didn't help that Jenna Shawls hadn't called yet. The agent's lack of communication made Kate feel something had gone wrong.. The only reason Kate hadn't yet left his SoHo loft was because the author was doing an utterly stupendous job of keeping her distracted, by telling the detective stories about his daughter's early days.

Kate loved Alexis. It was easily evident in the brunette detective's eyes that she considered Alexis one of her friends even though she was half of Kate's age. After all, Kate was still wearing Alexis' borrowed clothes, even though her own had been washed, pressed, and placed in the guestroom upstairs, where Kate had asked to stay if she ended up staying another night.

The blushing woman had claimed that she didn't want a repeat of earlier this morning.

Thinking of which, he considered it tremendous luck that she hadn't yet killed him for his wandering hands, nor had she questioned how they ended up in bed that morning after having fallen asleep on the couch while talking. Not that he had any intention of telling her that he'd carried her to his room, and had then fallen asleep cocooned around her. He cared too much about his life to ensue her wrath.

He was currently telling Kate the story of Alexis' fourth birthday, the first she'd celebrated after his divorce from Meredith. The week leading up to her birthday, Alexis had spoken with her mother constantly, seeking assurance that Meredith was going to arrive by or before said day, and spend it with his pumpkin.

As the day arrived, Alexis had awoken him with her usual energetic buoyancy, excited to get ready for her mother's arrival. And as the clock neared ten fifteen, Meredith's estimated time of arrival, his daughter's excitement became palpable, as she explained in great detail the plans she had made for the day.

Only Meredith never arrived. At eleven, his doorbell chimed, and Alexis ran squealing excitedly for her arrival, only to scream a second later. As Rick arrived, running at the door, and found a six feet seven inch tall clown where his ex-wife should be, his daughter started rambling about her mother, asking the clown when she was going to arrive.

The clown had merely smiled entering with the audacity of a man that expected compliance. Once inside he'd explained that Meredith Lee, the former Mrs. Castle, had hired him in her stead after receiving a call back for a part-time role in a small television series. Seeing his daughter run from the room, Rick calmly told the clown that his services were not wanted, and pushed him back out of the door before running up the stairs and to his daughter's tear-ridden side.

By this time, Kate was visibly shaking from anger, and her face flushed red as she, on Alexis' four-year-old behalf said, "What happened after that?"

Rick sighed, "Alexis cried, until her sorrow made way for anger. Then she called Meredith and told her, completely heartbroken, that she hated her . Meredith, being Meredith, started yelling uncontrollably, and ended up being kicked off the flight back to Los Angeles, Missing Alexis' call back. Afterwards, Alexis and I went to the Natural History Museum, as well as the Bronx Zoo, followed by a two week vacation to the Hamptons."

Kate sighed in a mixture of anger and relief, before Rick sighed. "Ever since, Meredith has always made an excuse not to be here on her daughter's birthday, and Alexis has made it apparent that she is going to celebrate in spite of her mother."

"That was because of you, Castle," Kate said firmly. "You showed that little girl that she could depend on her daddy even when her mommy was unreliable."

The author sighed aggravated, looking at the clock on the mantel as he noticed that only an hour had passed during the telling of his story, and no sounds had emitted from upstairs, leaving him with an increasingly aggravated detective, who was already starting to make excuses as to why she should head out. He was completely unable to deter the woman who adamantly declared her desire to return to work. Knowing that in less than two days, Kate would be returning to the twelfth precinct for three weeks before his book tour in Los Angeles, Rick was desperate to get her to listen.

"Castle," Kate finally asked, "Why don't you want me to leave?"

"Because I'm afraid you'll do something to draw attention to yourself, Kate. I know that you're usually the height of calm, cool, and collected, but when it comes to your mother's case, you've said it yourself: your mother's case is a rabbit hole that you're unsure in your ability to surmount."

She paused, her eyes moving to meet his, studying him for any hint of falsehood, any sign of deceit. Kate was a brilliant woman, and an even greater detective, and Rick knew that if she looked to deeply into his actions that Kate would learn the full extent of his feelings towards her.

"Fine," Kate said a few moments later, her exhaustion overriding her own sense of purpose. Rick sighed for small favors.

"So," Kate said after a moment, "How long until your dad's contact gets ahold of us?"

"I don't know," Rick said calmly, "But I would suggest that we start planning for your return to the Precinct. There is no telling how long it will take to get the evidence together. We could be looking at anywhere from a few days, to a few years, I'd think."

Kate frowned, but sighed in resignation. "You're right, we've had investigations go cold while we tried to gather evidence before, only for it to turn up years later. Damn, I need to stop looking at this as the victim."

Rick winced, but nodded softly as he said, "You're allowing your anger to override your common sense."

"And you've been trying to calm me down," Kate added absently, "Which I truly appreciate. You're a great friend, Castle. Not many people, rich or not, would throw out a hundred grand on the off-chance that it will work."

"You're my best friend, Kate," the author said shrugging, "I'll do anything in my power to help keep you safe."

"Thanks," Kate blushed, before frowning, "I wish I could do more."

Then with a steadying breath, Kate reached forward and was about to kiss him, when his telephone rang.

Kate sighed, grabbing the device quickly before visibly deflating. Rick took the phone, turning on the speakerphone out of instinct as he answered, "Rick Castle."

"Ricky," Paula Haas greeted from the other end as Kate stood and walked into the kitchen, "Have you seen today's _Times_? Of course you haven't, if you had, you'd have already called me to gloat! Anyways, sales of _Heat Wave_ are up again, so far over eight million copies have been sold, almost quadrupling the amount sold in the first twenty-four hours! And that's not the best bit," the woman gushed. "Did you know that, according to the _Times_ , you're New York's ninth most eligible bachelor? Ricky, do you get it? We need to move now!"

"Paula," Rick laughed, "I'm really happy about the figures, but now is really not the time."

"When is, Ricky? Did you know that Amanda Livingston has been calling my office for the past six hours trying to get a date with you?"

"Paula, I'm really not interested," Rick stated looking at Kate, whom had just returned with two cups of coffee, and was eyeing him with open jealousy, a fact that elated the author, "Please tell Miss Livingston that I'm very flattered, but decline as politely as possible."

"Rick," Paula signed, "Haven't you gotten that detective of your system yet? You turned down James fucking Bond for her." Rick winced. Kate was now glaring at his phone, her nose wrinkling in the way that he found so unbelievably sexy.

"And it's paid off," the author agreed, "The offer I received for the next three Nikki Heat books was _ten times_ the offer from IFP for the same amount of books, after all. Hell, I've already pulled ahead of schedule, with six chapters of _Naked Heat_ written already. I was never this productive with Storm and you know it. Do I miss the opportunity to write Bond? Of course! That doesn't mean I'm going to stop writing Nikki Heat. And for the record, Paula, that detective is the reason I'm so productive, not the cases."

"Well, where have you been for the past day? Nikki Heat leaves the precinct with you in tow, and neither of you have been seen since."

"First, Paula, it's Kate Beckett, not Nikki Heat. I've told you this before, and I've made it clear that the way you derogatorily referring Kate to her literary persona, the proverbial cash cow, is unacceptable. Kate puts up with that enough from the paparazzi, who know no better. I expect differently from my agent."

"You're right," his agent acquiesces as Kate watches on in amusement. "You'd tell me if it's important, wouldn't you, Ricky?"

"Only what I could," the man stated before he looked at Kate with curiosity. Kate frowned as he raised an eyebrow in question. Rolling her eyes, Kate nodded and huffed in faux annoyance. Rick grinned, "As a matter of fact, I've convinced Kate to join me at the Los Angeles book signing so that people can see the differences between her and Nikki."

"What the hell?" Paula asked, "When were you going to tell me this?"

"That's not important," Rick said, "What is important is that I want full publicity on this. Kate only agreed because of her importance to the character. People want to see the real life inspiration behind Nikki Heat, and Kate has agreed to give them that."

Paula was cackling on the other end of the line as she said, "I'll get started on the promotional Ricky! You tell that brunette if she backs out, I'm going to beat her within an inch of her life!"

"Paula!" Rick said looking at Kate, who was staring at him with amusement, instead of the spine-tingling anger that he was expecting.

"What, it isn't like she can hear me, can she Ricky?"

"Actually," Kate said sipping on her coffee, "I can hear every word you're saying, Paula."

The line went silent for a few seconds, before there is a click and the sound of a dial tone prompted Rick to disconnect the call. To his surprise, Kate was giggling lightly behind her hand as she asks, "Is Paula always like that?"

"No," Alexis said surprising them as she comes down the stairs in a pair of blue jeans with a pink belt, and a blue and white sweatshirt, "Sometimes, she is far worse. Hey Kate, I'm glad you're still here."

"Your dad is very convincing, Alexis. He's determined to keep me here for at least l the next day or two."

"Yeah, dad gets very overprotective. As a sufferer of said overprotectiveness, I sincerely welcome you to the club."

Kate laughed, "I think that your dad forgets that I'm the one carrying the badge and gun."

Rick snickered, as Alexis shot him a stern glare, before the teen said, "Really Kate, dad is bad enough on his own, he doesn't need your help!"

The detective cackled in amusement, before Rick said, "As my daughter so eloquently pointed out, yes Paula is far worse than this little display showed. Now daughter, why are you so dressed up?"

"I'm not dressed up," Alexis stated, "But I am going to the mall with Pilar, Allison, and Jo. I should be home around seven."

"Alright Pumpkin," her father said, standing and meeting her at the door, where Alexis gave him a short, but strong hug. Kate saw, not for the first time, the impact the teen had on her partner. It was hard to forget that he had such a serious side.

"Who are Pilar, Allison and Jo?"

"Pilar is her oldest friend, who Alexis met on their first day of Kindergarten. They've been inseparable ever since. Allison and Jo, which is short for Josefina, are twin sisters that she met last year at a science fair, their parents had just moved to the city, and the girls were enrolled at Marlowe Prep a few days later. Apparently, both parents are independently wealthy, as both girls have never batted an eyelash at the loft, and it's one of the more expensive properties in SoHo."

Kate nodded, snickering a few seconds later as Rick looked at her, confusion on his face. Sobering, Kate said, "Really? Science? Allison, Jo, Pilar?"

"You watch Eureka?"

"Layers of the Beckett onion, Castle," Kate said softly before she gnawed at her lip. "So, I'd like to head to my apartment and pick up a few changes of clothes."

Rick nodded. "Do you want me to come with you?"

She studied him for a few moments before shaking her head, "No, I'll be back. I promise."

Rick nodded, and walked to his room, unlocking his safe and moving out of Kate's way as she picked up her gun and badge, before closing the safe, not even thinking about the tape. Rick was surprised, but ecstatic none-the-less.

"I'll see you later?" Rick asked, his voice lowering as he walked her to the door. Kate nodded, "I'll call you if I'm going to be much later than an hour. When I get back, we can make plans for tomorrow."

"Of course," the author said before he said, "Hold on a moment, alright?"

As Kate nodded, he ran to his room, coming back and placing an object in her palm before closing her fingers around it. Kate's eyes widened and she asked, "Castle?"

"It's in case I'm writing when you get back," he answered as Kate pocketed the key he'd just given her. Once she was out the door, Rick walked into his office, and sighed as he opened his laptop, before a grin spread over his face, more backstory flowing out his fingertips and across the keyboard. Nikki Heat was going to make a beautiful Browncoat.

Just the thought of her cosplaying as the beautiful but deadly River Tam, or the energetic but intelligent Kaywinnet Lee Frye was enough to make his inner nerd jump with glee. Of course, in his mind Nikki Heat was already the beautiful blend of Zoe Washburne, the tough second-in-command of the Serenity, and Inara Serra, the slutty conscience of the ship.

So, the scene played itself out, and if it never reached the book itself, Rick knew that one day he'd show this scene to Kate Beckett, and the two of them would laugh at the serenity of it all.

Once the revelation of Nikki's inner nerd was fully expressed on Word, Rick steadfastly began typing a scene he was sure would make the final cut. And while he was fast, he was thorough, adding just enough detail that the reader's imagination could fully immerse themselves.

One scene begat two, turned into four, then eight, then soon an entire chapter was finished, followed by the bones of a second. By the time Kate got back an hour and a half later, he'd already saved the newest chapter, making ten in all of the newest novel, and had sent his most recent work off to Gina.

So, it was with a skip in his step that Rick walked outside to meet the detective, immediately noticing the paranoia shining in her brown eyes. Hurriedly, he turned on the television and set it to the local news channel, where the headline blared, "Shots Fired in Uptown Apartment Complex". Grimacing, Rick recognized the building as Kate's, and turned to her committing each oddity to memory as he asked, "What happened?"

"I got home, and found someone in my apartment. It looked like he was planting bugs. I must have startled him when I walked in because he opened fire. I drew my gun, and fired off two shots, but they must have missed because the next thing I know, he was coming at me with a knife.

I dodged his first strike, but fell over the coffee table and hit my head. I must have blacked out because when I woke up, an EMT and uni were standing over me. One of my neighbors called the cops, who for some reason didn't know I was a police officer, and thought I was the person that had broken in since I had a gun drawn."

Rick clenched his fists, about to offer her something to drink, when his phone rang. He answered it without looking. "Rick Castle?"

"Rick, this is William Bracken."

"Bill, it's good to hear from you." Rick said calmly, his heart racing in his chest while looking at Kate, whose eyes narrowed into slits. Rick grasped her hand and rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, pleading silently for her to remain quiet.

"Hey Rick. I just heard about that awful business last week at that precinct you're volunteering at. Your lady cop friend killed a man, I understand. Are you alright? Alexis? Martha?"

"They're fine, Bill. No, that was horrible. It was a bad case all around, and yeah there ended up being a shooting at the precinct. I was even held hostage! I can't wait for everyone to read about that, man."

"Rick," the senator asked, "Are you sure you should be associating with this lady cop of yours, I'm afraid that you're going to end up getting hurt."

"Nah, it doesn't happen often, and I'm careful while I'm with Kate and her team. I've even got a kevlar vest that I use if they think the it's needed. I'm as safe as can be, and mother and Alexis are okay with what I do. The guys at the precinct have been wonderful to us, and I owe them a lot for putting up with me."

"Alright. I just wanted to get in touch with you. You're not just a campaign contributor to me, Rick. You're a stand-up guy, and our nation needs more people like you in it. I'd hate for something to happen to you. Or your friend, for that matter."

"I know what you mean, Bill. Everything's great. But, since you called," Rick calmly said, "I was wondering if you wanted to talk greenbacks ?"

"Of course," the man chuckled. Rick could see the anger in Kate's eyes now, and knew she was close to volatile. He winced, but just tightened his grip on the woman's hand and mouthed, "He's fishing for information," which seemed to draw her consternation even more. Raising her hand to his lips, Rick placed a soft kiss there, something that he hoped dissipated some of her anger as she flushed but glared softly at him.

"Well, I love the work you did on getting the museum and schools up to code, and was very happy with the results of your public education initiative, so I was hoping you'd accept a higher donation this year, but I'm not sure on the policies on that."

A slight hesitation coming from the phone almost had Rick cringing in fear that he'd overplayed his hand, even as he saw Kate's eyes starting to narrow.

"Of course I wouldn't have a problem with it, but the ethics committee would. No, you're still in for the three million though?"

"Of course! I haven't heard anything really bad about your results, Senator, and so far you've lived up to the vast majority of the issues I brought to your attention. Oh, as an aside, I'm actually looking to broker a deal for a fundraiser for the Widow and Children's fund for the NYPD. I see every day what these guys put on the line, and I think it'd be a great charity to contribute too. And I know that it would help your poll numbers, which I noticed were a bit down. Could you check with your guys on the Hill? Hell, do you think it would help?"

As the Senator chuckled, Rick silently waited as the man said, "Of course I will. In fact, I'll even put five hundred grand in, as well as match all other donations up to another five hundred. And you're right, I don't know why I didn't think of it myself. The Senior Senator from New York contributing to the NYPD WOF, that almost guarantees the police vote!"

"Great, I'll get ahold of your office in the next few weeks to work that out."

"Alright Rick, and tell Alexis and Martha I'm thinking of them."

Rick forced a chuckle, wincing the entire time and glad the man couldn't see his reactions.

"Will do, Senator."

As the phone hung, Rick sighed and looked at Kate, who was seething. "I know you're mad," he soothes, "But I think he was calling to check up. He claims he just heard about Coonan, and I think he was testing the waters. I especially think he was checking to see my reaction to the shots fired at your apartment."

"Oh," Kate sighed, "You were trying not to give anything away."

He nodded, softly. "Kate, I won't betray you. I know that it may seem like it when I'm being jovial to mobsters, or making dates with prostitutes while we're on case, but I only do those to try to provide a break for you guys. I know cops can't be seen doing stuff like that, and since I'm not a cop, I'm not held to the same standards as you guys. That said, I have to be friendly with Senator Bracken because if I'm not, he'll know something is wrong, and that will mean you, mother or Alexis ending up dead."

Kate nodded, "I understand - and I know that instinctively - but knowing it and experiencing it are two wildly different things. With me unable to return to my apartment, I'm just really angry and scared. And irritable.. Hell, I wanted to punch you, Rick, and you've done nothing but be there for me. Along with a hundred other things.

"Yeah," Rick sighed. "And in light of what's happened, I think you need to return to work tomorrow. Bracken will be suspicious if he finds out you are taking a sudden leave of absence.."

"I've already called Montgomery and had myself put back on duty starting tomorrow. He wanted me to take some vacation days, but I told him that I could 'no longer afford' to stay away from work, since I have new expenses."

"Great," Rick said, "We also need to think about the contingencies."

Kate nodded. "Yeah. God, Castle, what the hell is going on? We've got a corrupt Senator, a deep-cover CIA agent, a novelist, and a cop, involved in one investigation. If I didn't know any better, I'd say this was the plot for one of your books."

"Kate," Rick said softly as he sat beside her, "I wish this _were_ a plot for one of my books, but it isn't. What I can do, what _we_ can do, is continue with our short term plans, barring a few changes. You'll still come with me to LA in a couple of weeks, only now they'll be paid vacation days instead of unpaid. We'll still talk about Vegas, and weddings, and publicity while we're out there; and we'll still make sure that you're safe. That said, we need to get Espo and Ryan in on this now instead of later."

Kate nodded. "Tomorrow, whether your dad's contact calls or not. It's only a day earlier than planned."

The writer only nodded in agreement, unsure what else he could say. Kate sighed, a shiver of revulsion running down her back.,

"I guess your clothes are a no-go, since your apartment's an active scene?" he asked

"Luckily I had most of my more irreplaceable items with me. Who knows how long it will be until I can get back in. The only reason I wasn't able to get clothes is because the Detective in charge and I didn't get along in training, so he was a total jackass."

"Yeah? Did he at least call your precinct in?"

"Robbery got called, not homicide, so a Detective Tom Demming was the one that got the call. At least he is somewhat competent."

"Not up to your usual standards, Beckett?"

"I don't know Castle, I mean my standards must have fallen since I'm hanging around with you," she said coquettishly, a self-aggrandizing smirk on her face that Rick knew was meant purely to gather herself. Not that he blamed her In fact he'd actually expected it, considering the emotional roller coaster she'd been on the past few days.

"Well, how about we head out and hit an off-the-rack store tonight. Then after you get off shift tomorrow, my mother and daugher can take you out free to abuse my credit card as much as you want. "

"Castle, I don't need your money," Beckett retorted with a roll of her eyes. Rick smiled but merely replied, "No, you don't, but you're getting strung out, Kate. As strong as you are, this case is like a battering ram against your walls. It's becoming real much sooner than you ever hoped it would. If things had been different, those elephants could have sat on your desk for years, and you'd have had no idea of what was there."

"Don't you think I know that?" Kate finally snapped out, her gaze narrowing as those carefully laid walls started crumbling. "Don't you think I've thought of nothing else since it happened? How long I'd had those stored away since that night? How many times I reached back to throw them against a wall in fury, only to stop myself because they were hers. Damn it, Castle! My answers were right there this whole time!"

And suddenly, she was crashing into him. Her arms wrapped around his broad shoulders as she buried her face into the crook of his neck and those same walls completely shattered under the weight of betrayal, anger, and agonizing sorrow.

As his hand ran through her brunette locks, Rick couldn't help but feel like this was his fault. If he'd never opened that case file, if he'd never offered a hundred thousand dollars to catch a killer, if he'd never been taken hostage, than this would never have happened. When he'd later tried to resign as her partner Kate had batted her eyelashes, made a comment about him pulling her pigtails, and smiled, and he'd been more than happy to stay inserted into her life.

He'd put her in danger, and destroyed her relationship with her mentor - the person she put her trust in after her mom died. He had no doubt she was dreading the inevitable confrontation with her captain.

So, if he lent her his card and let her to spend a hundred thousand dollars, or a million, or five, or ten, it would be the least he could do, since he'd never be able to repair the damage he'd dealt to her.

Still, as he sat on his couch, running his hands through her hair, Rick couldn't help but be glad she was leaning on him, allowing him in instead of pushing him away. Call it his Achilles heel, or his hubris, but he couldn't push the woman away. He couldn't drop out of her life, or allow her out of his. It wasn't about the books anymore. It hadn't been for a while.

Rick listened to her even, steady breathing and felt the rise and fall of her chest, and smiled, relieved that she finally allowed herself to calm down. He'd give her this. The quiet. The peace that she'd been longing for, that had escaped her one late January night when she'd met a dirty cop on her parent's doorstep.

He'd sit quietly, and plan - use his immense knowledge of plot, subtext and details - and create a foolproof scenario that would end up with Kate on an international Who's Who list and make her untouchable. He'd make it taboo to utter the words _Kate Becket_ t and _kill_ in the same sentence. But most importantly, he'd protect his partner from herself, pull her back from that rabbit hole before she could tumble down it. Shopping could wait.


End file.
